O’Reilly Factor the Go-From Place for ‘Facts About Obamacare’

On his October 25 show, FoxNews host Bill O’Reilly told viewers, “The Factor has established itself as the go-to news program if you want the facts about Obamacare.” And then he proceeded to show that this wasn’t true:

Millions of Americans want facts, not crazy political fanaticism, and we are here to give them to you. According to the Kaiser Health News Service, private insurance companies are canceling policies at a huge rate. In California, Kaiser Permanente has canceled half of its health insurance plans for individuals. Blue Shield of California has canceled 60 percent of its individual business. Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia dropping 45 percent of its customers and Florida Blue has canceled 80 percent of individual policies. And that’s just the beginning. Estimates are that Americans who have individual health insurance policies will be cut at the rate of 50 percent.

Well, that sounds bad–I thought this law was supposed to help people get insurance, not kick them off their insurance plans.

Luckily, you can find the article O’Reilly is talking about and read it for yourself. And if do, you find that, yes, some insurance companies are canceling certain policies–which is actually something that happens all the time in the individual insurance market.

But O’Reilly left out one part of the article–the part about what new insurance policies will look like:

By all accounts, the new policies will offer consumers better coverage, in some cases, for comparable cost–especially after the inclusion of federal subsidies for those who qualify. The law requires policies sold in the individual market to cover 10 “essential” benefits, such as prescription drugs, mental health treatment and maternity care. In addition, insurers cannot reject people with medical problems or charge them higher prices. The policies must also cap consumers’ annual expenses at levels lower than many plans sold before the new rules.

Now, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if insurance companies were able to figure out ways to inflict pain on their customers and then blame it on excessive government regulation. But they won’t have to spend much time doing that so long as people like Bill O’Reilly are out doing what they do.

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Activism Director and and Co-producer of CounterSpinPeter Hart is the activism director at FAIR. He writes for FAIR's magazine Extra! and is also a co-host and producer of FAIR's syndicated radio show CounterSpin. He is the author of The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly (Seven Stories Press, 2003). Hart has been interviewed by a number of media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, Fox News Channel's O'Reilly Factor, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and the Associated Press. He has also appeared on Showtime and in the movie Outfoxed. Follow Peter on Twitter at @peterfhart.

How have you shown O’Reilly at all fallacious here? No one knows how many people will get better rates with new plans…common logic tells us not many, as you can’t expect millions of new people forced into plans that demand coverage for everything under the sun, and somehow prices will go down. It’s absurd to even think that would be the case, and it surely will not be the case for most people in the individual market.

Plus the article mentions this will all be paid for with subsidies. Guess where those come from? My pocket and your pocket. It’s tax money that will be either taken in the form of higher taxes or taken from other programs that will lose the money, so that’s the indirect unseen cost. Hardly anything to praise. “Don’t worry! This won’t cost you more money directly, it will only cost you more on your tax bill!” No one hears that and thanks their lucky stars.

I’m sure the millions forced into higher plans will be thankful these plans will be forced to cover the pregnancies they can’t possibly have and the mental health problems from which they don’t suffer.

And plans are canceled all the time? Are you seriously going to pretend the 2 million+ plans canceled thus far is just part of the regular flow of insurance cancellations? Come on now, not even your most ardent liberal is gonna buy that nonsense.

Why would Obama want to tamper with perfection? We have achieved the 37th best healthcare system in the world, simply by spending more than anyone else in the world on healthcare (#2 in expense is France, with the best healthcare — #1 by World Health Organization ratings — with costs per capita of about 2/3 of the remarkable and world-beating U. S. private system). It’s important to realize that the free market is the solution to everything. Without this realization, any defense of American healthcare would make us look like free market fetishizing jerks.

Yes, a Cadillac is better than a Ford, but I can’t afford a Cadillac! I don’t even want a Cadillac! It’s not for someone who doesn’t know anything about anything he’s responsible for to pretend he knows what’s best for me. Especially someone who lies regularly. Did I mention he lies?

Orielly, like the rest of his cohorts of o’mama hate were denied love and nursing privileges because they are sons of bitches in there minds. Note they never talk about their mothers.
oriellys o’mama must have viewed him as a parasite. so no o’mama care.. this is where the war on women got its genesis. These sociopaths always throw their “MITT” at the other person,,typical rr tactic(parasitical )–billy “boy”o is a thug and coward as are his cohorts at foxys news and the rr.. parasites and sociopaths all.. love to have a debate with any one of these mitthead pervs..

Et tu, FAIR? This bail out of a failing health-care system is yet another example of failure on the part of the Diktat Obomber regime. Liberals used to be quite savvy about single-payer health care until this Liar-In-Chief peddled his nonsense about a “marketplace” where “competition” drives down cost. There is no such beast in the corporate welfare Police States of America but liberals keep eating it up. You are no better than those NeoCONS who defended Bush Jr. tooth-and-nail. And this is coming from someone who already HAS ObamaCare-approved insurance!

Read the comments dude. Even most liberals know what a song and dance Obamacare is. Even those who dislike O’reilly (myself included) know the foolhardy notion of getting more for less. Just keep printing money Osama…keep printing paper money…China’s gonna own us soon enough.

More nonsense from FAIR. Every well researched article says the same thing people are getting kicked off the plans they like and are getting plans that cost more with higher deductibles. Why should a single male be required to have maternity benefits and birth control pills as part of his policy

Bill O’Reilly and the truth are a contradiction in terms. Bill O’Reilly and his “standing up” for the little person is complete bulls–t! Bill O’Reilly is the mouthpiece of corporations and the sickeningly wealthy. Bill O’Reilly is vicious vindictive vermin.

Oh my dear sweet lord you are trying to dump this on the insurance companies aren’t you?It is simply never Obama’s fault with you lot.You were told over and over that exactly what is happening would happened now that it has happened…..its the other guys fault.Bill O????Who cares what he reports.This is a fiasco on the ground level.We dont need reports from anyone to tell us how this is going.The insurance companies were ordered to “fill out” all their plans with higher cost mandates.This resulted (duh) in higher cost .Companies dropped the plans due to higher cost. (duh).So as Kathy Sebelious reels,not even understanding that she is in fact eligible to sign up, and the president claims 23 million entered the sight opening day(while only 6 signed up.Info they illegally kept hidden from Congress)We are left to wonder one simple question.On a scale of one to a hundred….how screwed up is this?Im going for 130%!The enforcement arm(IRS) is guilty of targeting political rivals who were against this.The people running this cluster F+*k we are supposed to trust with our loved ones health?Premiums and cost shooting through the roof.Cost now at 4x that promised and climbing.All those who formulated this getting a pass.Up to 70 % of Doctors in some cases are opting out.We now find that the presidents own commissions told him 3 years ago that the moves he was enacting would cause 80 million people to loose their current healthcare while he danced a different tune in front of all you…AND YOU BOUGHT IT!!!!!!!And now insurance companies tell us they are being strong armed by the government to shut their friggin mouths or else.Want to know what the definition is of fascism?When the government becomes the “manager” of private industry.I actually think Obama care has a few good things.Things that any upgrading of our insurance plans would of taken care of.And for that I do blame the right.They worked too slow and came too late to the party.And so as too often happens a radical jumped in to fill the space.Im looking at a few places in this country where this may be working a wee bit.California being the best.Im seeing that those who are not fighting this are getting the most benifit.BUT that is ignoring the cost.And no body is talking about that.In places where it seems to be working….the cost is a scary 5x higher than predicted.Im left with the feeling that yes we would all be safer if we all drove a rolls.But who is gonna pay for it?So what is next people?Are you finally ready to listen to those of us that told you this is where it would all end up.Can we get together as Americans now to do what is best and turn away from Lord Obama AND the republican old guard?This is now collapsing toward a single payer system.My guess is irregardless of what Obama said, that this was always the fall back.For many ..the goal.You need to research the ups and downs of this system.Get ahead of the curve .Ahead of the lies your government is spinning.Ahead of the spinning talking heads.We are Americans.Brothers all.Get the information on that now

by the way…we did all this for those 15-30 million who had no insurance.They still exist at those numbers even with Obama care. And 94 million now are slated to loose their insurance.Good move folks.Damn good move

Not mentioned, unless i missed it, is that the ACA provides preventative coverage, which means far less expense for illness not detected early. It includes mammograms, colonoscopies, and other vital tests. Further missing is the huge cost of emergency rooms to which people have to go, for even trivial medical problems, if they cannot afford the doctor. This saves the taxpayers a sack of expense. And NOTE to Michael e: if you want people to read your stuff, try a paragraph or two to break up the torrent of words.

Sorry art about the torrent.Art the idea that the 95 million that are loosing their healthcare will be good for them in the end,is a joke.To convince them that their old healthcare was no good so they should thank Obama for the higher costs and premiums is also a joke.Sticker shock is the next shoe to fall.My Emergency room visit just jumped from $150.00 to $2000.OO.Thank God I know a lot of Doctors.I the future you may have something….anything to hang your hat on.Right now?Nope,no way

I’m not an expert of the ACA, but I’ve read numerous articles about its supposed impact on the hoi polloi and I believe it’s going to be a disaster of epic proportions. High monthly costs, ridiculously high deductibles, and the average joe who has already been hit hard by the economic meltdown over the past 5 years will have even less money for basic sustenance. O’Reilly is usually full of shit, but I think he’s just a little bit less so concerning the ACA.

Michael e, first, you seem to miss the point of insurance. It is a gamble but, unlike a casino, it is a gamble that something will NOT occur. Second, it is based on a pool of “winners’ (ie, those who stay well) and losers (that who get ill). If you have car insurance but never have a claim, do you protest that you are paying for those who do? And keeping in mind that in the very next hour, your status could reverse?

The ACA sets higher standards that many insurance companies are unwilling to otherwise provide even as they post great profits and pay their CEO’s obscene bags of money. Junk policies abound about that the holders are not even aware of until they run into arbitrarily defined “prior conditions”; annual or life pay maxims; too many claims; a maximum on office visits a year; higher premiums because you have the “misfortune” to be female; young adult kids not able to get their own coverage; prescriptions not covered – and the list continues

I am no super acolyte of President Obama, and he has greatly disappointed me in several areas, unrelated to the aCA, BUT also the the stupidity evident in the promotion and implementation of this much needed, and long overdue, attempt to prevent needless suffering and death distresses me.
When I feel very depressed by all this flame and fury, including a mindless, heartless and mean attempt by Cruz, Cantor, Boehner and the Tea Party to obtain their aims by keeping 800,00 people out of work, keeping needy kids and seniors and disabled from enough food, suspending critical medical and scientific research, keeping Cancer patients from treatment, ad nauseum – I thank whatever invisible entity may be in the sky that we did not get Romney, who achieved a successful medical system in MA while governor and then vowed to destroy the ACA which is based on it. And finally, I give thanks that we did not get the 2nd slot filled by Ryan who wishes to demolish Medicare and Medicaid and dismantle Social Security while further enriching the wealthy.
Single payer might have been the solution, but that’s another item.

Art understand that we have to stop attacking people who were asking for things before implementation(tea party) that this week were the same exact things asked for by a quorum of DEM Senators.I was stunned when I read it.And the press MISSED IT!On purpose of course.Everything the tea party said would happen…all the reasons they were against this have proven true.So we hate them for the same old bag of hyperboles.They don’t care.Blah blah.They are attacked by his attack dogs and his lap dog press because they hamper this president from his insanity and stupidity.Then after his aims fail…..they are attacked for being the reason for the failure.Come on get real.They are regular people who follow the constitution.Common sense American values in business .In the Capitalist,free markets that have served us well for hundreds of years.95% of Americans are tea party though they know it not.THey LIVE it every day,in every way..But they are told by the 5% how wrong that is.Art Im not saying giving EVERYONE better healthcare is not a noble goal.Im saying what I said on day one.It is unaffordable.Forget the constitutional arguments.Forget if you care, or don’t give a damn.All that is leading by emotion.Without the business sense of a goat.And speaking of Obama……He knew this was unaffordable at the original cost.He knew these massive shifts would take place and he deceived people to get re-elected.He ignored all the experts…the tea party….the American people(most of whom never wanted this).He is first ,last,and forever- an ideolog. Introducing a fascist /socialist program into our system was for good intentions.A little like Bush suspending Democracy to save DEmocracy.But now we see those people(tea party)were right all along ,and he was wrong.They told the truth,he did not.Give the devil his due Art.And now we have an unaffordable program that has gone 4x higher than what we at first could never afford.Nothing is working.70% of Doctors polled are opting out.Med schools are dramatically down in enrollment.90% of people are dumping onto medicare/medicaid(Something this was supposed to prevent).You mentioned single payer.WEll there we are talking a cost jump of 12X the unaffordable thing we have now.Art the road to hell is paved with liberal good intentions.I truly believe(being in the field)that even if we followed the flawed Ryan plan we would be seeing drops in premiums across the board.See this is very fixable.Any number of plans left and right would of helped.It should of been incrementilized.Obamas history when written will go like this……He twisted every arm in his own party,and blasted his opposition with anything that came to mind.Damn the torpedoes and facts.He pushed through legislation in the dark of night with back room deals never before seen.He fundamentally changed America as was his want.We will never know if it was for power or for a universe of good intention.We only know that it all failed,and that he refused to accept the blame.That his top people and all those who voted for him refused to take the blame.That out of this came a massive debtor nation..Hyper inflation.Economic collapse.An end to super power status giving tyrants a free hand in the world ,and throwing the world back into a dark age of political instability.I truly believe Art that unless you people who have supported him break from him and try to reinvigorate …….re educate yourself about the gift we were handed in this country,that that is the future.it is imperative you change course.Imperative.

The problem, as always, is those Americans who choose to live in the world of voluntary ignorance so they don’y have to think or act in the real world. When someone breaks through their fairy tale armor and gets through with the truth, they blame the truth teller for upsetting their status quo and will believe anything that helps them back into the blissfully ignorant state where they can believe or not believe facts, depending on if the facts don’t impede the defenses they have set up for themselves. Those few journalists and politicans, who want to tell them the truth are afraid if reprisals, and often remain silent.

In my mind O’reilly is a bigot first and foremost-like Mitthead he is a bully and gay basher and uses the power of “political science” manipulation to convince followers of his “sin”cerety . The RR are sociopaths and morally deficient degenerates.. Sociopaths are cowards and liars by way of their DNA structure and by definition homicidal ..that’s why the target of their rampage of destruction are the most vulnerable among us.. The first victim to jump into gay basher ,bully, animal abuser, scoff law, liar “mitt”heads mind was “Big Bird”–O’reillys and his cohorts mentor and hero!